FreedomWorks Urges Real Reform of Surveillance Measures

Washington, D.C. – Weighing in on the potential debate in the House over the reauthorization of Title VII of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (known as “Section 702”), Adam Brandon, FreedomWorks president, commented:

“To quote Taylor Swift, it’s another day, another drama. House Republican leadership had a strong, bipartisan bill, the Protect Liberty and End Warrantless Surveillance Act, come out of the House Judiciary Committee. It’s not every day that the most conservative and most progressive members of the House come together, but they did for the Protect Liberty and End Warrantless Surveillance Act. Unfortunately, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, a wholly owned subsidiary of the intelligence community, is opposed to any real reform that protects Americans’ civil liberties. That’s why we’re here today. That’s why the House is staring down the possibility of failing to move on yet another bill.”

“The base text of the FISA reauthorization bill doesn’t protect Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights. It actually limits oversight of the FISA Court and doesn’t do anything to prevent the worst abuses of FISA. By itself, we have no choice but to oppose it. We also oppose any amendments offered by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which has consistently acted in bad faith through this process. Congress must consider and pass amendments that strengthen the base text while rejecting those that expand this warrantless surveillance. The following are amendments that must be considered and adopted to improve the base text: closing the backdoor search loophole, the Fourth Amendment Is Not for Sale Act, and permanently ending ‘abouts’ collection. Unless the base text is amended on the floor to include those amendments, we will oppose the FISA reauthorization bill.”

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FreedomWorks exists to mobilize the principled center and politically homeless in America who do not feel their values of fiscal responsibility, social tolerance, and individual liberty are being represented in political discourse today. We seek to restore common sense and competence to public policy and American political life.